"He shouldn’t even be allowed to steward": Fans react to Johnny Herbert denying accusations of bias against Max Verstappen

F1 fans reacted after former F1 driver Johnny Herbert denied accusations of having a bias against Red Bull driver Max Verstappen. The former Sky Sports F1 pundit has been an FIA race steward for the past couple of years, along with punditry duties on television.

During the 2024 Mexican Grand Prix, the Brit was one of the stewards who gave the reigning three-time world champion two separate 10-second penalties for his antics while battling championship rival Lando Norris in the main race.

The Dutch driver was judged to be guilty of pushing another driver off the track and leaving the track and gaining an advantage last Sunday. Speaking with Action Network, Johnny Herbert denied having a bias against Max Verstappen and said:

"There always seems to be an issue about us British stewards being ‘biased’, but when we’re in that room, we abide by the rules and guidelines from the FIA. That is how we have to judge the racing on the track. To say it’s ‘biased’ is absolutely ridiculous and not the case. "

"The issue we have is the tactics we see on the track, there are driving styles that are not deemed correct according to the guidelines, and the situation we had in Mexico showed that we made the right decision. In Mexico, the stewards other than me were American, Belgian, and Brazilian, all who have the same powers as each other. To say there’s bias is ridiculous," he added.

F1 fans took to social media to give their reactions to Herbert's comments about having a bias on X, with one fan claiming:

"Doesn’t change the fact Herbert is biased. He shouldn’t even be allowed to steward."

"Of course, he would say that, imagine if he said anything else....."

"We have conducted an investigation into ourselves and we find ourselves not guilty."

"Is he saying those rightly calling out the bias are being bias against the bias people," said another.

"Except when it's against Lewis," wrote a fan.

"British stewards shouldn't be allowed when a Brit is in the title fight," suggested another.

Former F1 world champion calls out Red Bull for Max Verstappen's repeated antics

Former F1 world champion Damon Hill stated that Red Bull has to take some blame for Max Verstappen's repeated controversial moves being unpunished.

Speaking on the Sky Sports podcast, the 1996 world champion said:

"There's never any attempt to publicly describe his driver in a way that other people would recognize it. It almost appears as though Max is free to do whatever he likes. His team will never criticise the way he drives. And I think if you're in a competition, that's probably fine to do that publicly."

Max Verstappen was also given an additional two points on his FIA super license, which takes his tally to six, apart from 20 seconds in the race on Sunday.